PICTURES: Beatles Celebrate 50 Years Since Release Of First Single 'Love Me Do' - The Fab Four In Snaps...

05/10/2012 13:51

The Huffington Post UK

Hard to believe these two special days fall on the same calendar date in history.

But, 50 years ago today, while a suave super-agent was making his screen debut, four bright-eyed mop-tops were also debuting something that would equally prove to stand the test of time.

The Beatles' first single Love Me Do was released on this day in 1962, and its advent on the pop chart (peaking at number 17) heralded their domination of the pop music scene for the next eight years, and their lasting music influence until... indefinitely.

As Jools Holland reflected on the eve of this anniversary, most musicians borrow from someone, but everyone borrows from the Beatles, hoping to reflect some of the musical alchemy of the Liverpudlian quartet John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

George Martin was the man who signed them to EMI's Parlophone label in 1962, after other record companies had turned them down, and influenced, he later revealed, more by their "charisma" than by their obvious creative talent.

Nonetheless, by early October, they'd created Love Me Do, swiftly followed by Please, Please Me, which Martin predicted confidently would be their first number one single. And he was proved right.

The statistics tell the rest of the story, with the Fab Four clocking up more than a billion units of sales, according to EMI estimates, and achieving more number one albums and singles than any other group in history. By the time they split in 1970 amidst business and creative tensions between the band members, they had secured their place in history - or as John blithely put it when asked in 1966, "more popular than Jesus".

John Lennon was shot dead in December 1980, and George Harrison died in November 2001. Ringo and Paul are still going strong and, despite neither of them ever having to work again, both are still making music, 50 years after it all began with Love Me Do.

In Pictures: A look back at the Fab Four - happy 50th birthday!

The Beatles

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Music - The Beatles - London Airport

The Beatles arrive at London Airport: (l-r) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.